Pain for a day
Jinnan returned home, took off his shoes, and went straight into Xu Zhiyuan's room.
He took off his clothes as he walked, and by the bathroom door he was only left with his shirt. Xu Zhiyuan followed behind him, picking up his coat, vest, sock clips, and trousers one by one. He held the dirty clothes, still warm from his body, in his arms, and for a moment he was reluctant to put them in the basket.
Jinnan leaned against the doorframe, locked eyes with Xu Zhiyuan for a moment, and pulled his shirt higher. The blush Xu Zhiyuan had left last night was still there, even darker.
"It's rubbed raw and hurt all day," Jinnan said. "Where's the medicine?"
The details of how and when they were rubbed were hidden in the context, becoming a blushing, heart-pounding secret for both of them. Jinnan's skin was truly terrible, leaving red marks. Even though Xu Zhiyuan had been careful to moisturize it last night, it still broke. I wonder if it will leave a scar.
Xu Zhiyuan surrendered and bowed his head, he went too far.
The room was the smallest in the entire villa, so Xu Zhiyuan's bathroom was naturally not that big either. There was only a shower, and there was no place to sit.
Xu Zhiyuan came in to get the medicine. Jinnan walked in and tested the water temperature. The hot water poured on his shirt, and he was so chilled that he turned off the water.
In the outer room, Xu Zhiyuan found the medicine, placed it in front of the sink, and quietly left. He didn't even glance at the half-naked and soaking wet Jinnan, as if Jinnan were some kind of monster.
Jinnan was so angry that his hands were unsteady while unbuttoning his shirt. Just when his fingers were about to start fighting, another hand reached out and easily helped him unbutton the shirt that was entangled by the cold water fabric.
Jinnan turned around and saw Xu Zhiyuan standing behind him, his clothes neatly dressed.
Jinnan was in a state of disgrace by comparison. His shirt was soaked through, hanging half-stuck to his body, the cold making it redder, and his fair, round skin took on a pearly sheen.
The atmosphere was a bit tense. Jin Nan didn't dare to take off his clothes for a moment, and his hands holding the shower head were clenched tightly.
"Do you want to shower together?"
Jinnan wasn't afraid; he tried to appear relaxed, but whenever he encountered a situation like this, where he lacked experience, he couldn't help but get nervous. He wasn't good at it, he was awkward and awkward. Before understanding the customs, he had to understand the person first.
But Jinnan didn't even dare to stretch out his hand. When Xu Zhiyuan let go, he didn't even dare to ask.
Don't they all like each other?
Xu Zhiyuan didn't answer, nor did he take off his clothes. He walked closer, cornering Jinnan with nowhere to retreat.
"Separate." Xu Zhiyuan whispered.
Jinnan's breathing suddenly became heavy, and his lips trembled. It took him a long time to utter a few words: "I haven't taken it off yet..."
"separate."
It's a simple action, but it takes great courage to perform it.
Xu Zhiyuan lowered his head and reached down, reaching his hand under the fabric, between the soft crevices. Jinnan wanted to close his eyes, but as soon as he lowered his gaze, he saw Xu Zhiyuan's serious expression.
Before touching him, a waterproof patch was placed on his broken skin, carefully covering all the reddened skin.
Xu Zhiyuan made sure it was pressed firmly before pressing on the other side. The fabric had already bulged and was pressing against his wrist.
Jinnan wanted to die. Xu Zhiyuan was just worried about his wound getting wet and hurting him. He thought...
Obviously didn't touch it much.
"I put it by your bed this morning, thinking I'd give it to you." Xu Zhiyuan said, "Did you spend the whole day grinding it?"
"It's okay, I didn't walk much." Jinnan said softly, "I got up late and didn't see it."
Xu Zhiyuan stood up straight, looked down, and smiled softly: "Does it hurt?"
"It shouldn't hurt if it doesn't get wet."
"That's not what I'm asking."
Jinnan's breathing suddenly froze, and his hands clenched Xu Zhiyuan's shirt, leaving wrinkles and water marks.
"Do you need help?" Xu Zhiyuan asked politely. His actions spoke louder than his words and he had already subdued Jinnan.
Jin Nan's waist was so weak that he could hardly stand. Xu Zhiyuan held him with his other arm, burying his head in his neck and ears.
"I didn't really touch you just now." Xu Zhiyuan whispered, "Why are you so excited?"
Jinnan stuttered and argued: "Breathing, it touched me."
"Does my breathing irritate you?"
A gentle laugh, all of its breath spread on the softest skin on Jin Nan's neck. He couldn't help but shrink his neck, but Xu Zhiyuan held him tightly and he couldn't move away at all.
"You're being unreasonable."
Jinnan tried hard to hold back his breath, not wanting to appear too embarrassed.
But Xu Zhiyuan just wanted to embarrass him. Even though they were so close, he didn't kiss her. Jin Nan called his name so many times, but he didn't respond.
He seemed to be deliberately ignoring Jinnan, giving him endless joy while pouring cold water on his heart.
Maybe it’s not that he didn’t give enough, but that Jinnan was greedy.
Jinnan felt that it was not enough, no matter how much more it was, it would not be enough.
Heat surged up, and Jinnan's eyes flashed white, and he began to pant violently. Xu Zhiyuan stepped over him, turned on the hot water, and slowly adjusted the temperature. Jinnan took the shower head and doused Xu Zhiyuan first.
"Xu Zhiyuan, you..."
"What about me?"
Jinnan was speechless: "You are too much."
He held the shower head and poured it down, the soaked fabric revealing the shape hidden under the black. Last night, Jin Nan had already touched it.
Xu Zhiyuan had no intention of going any further. He put his hand under the hot water and washed away all the evidence.
"I'll help you test the water temperature."
Jinnan stopped talking, hung the shower head on the wall, and took control of Xu Zhiyuan with his arms. This time, he unbuttoned his shirt quickly.
The two of them were drenched in water, Jinnan's vision blurred by the steam. He couldn't see anything clearly, so he pressed Xu Zhiyuan down and kissed him non-stop, until he even laughed at himself.
The man, his shirt stripped off, stood in the hot water, just as wet as he was, his eyes filled with a long-suppressed dark glow. It wasn't that Xu Zhiyuan wasn't tempted, Jin Nan knew. Many of his reactions were not determined by whether he wanted to be exposed or not.
"Is the water hot?" Jin Nan asked, almost touching his lips. "Do you want to touch me? Do you want to kiss me?"
Xu Zhiyuan was held down by him and nodded silently. In an instant, the offensive and defensive positions changed.
Jinnan didn't know how many kisses he received, but he finally washed both of them clean before the water cooled. He rubbed his sore hands and decided to choose a good spot before provoking Xu Zhiyuan next time. He had been standing for so long that his knees were a little stiff.
Only later did he realize that his face was hot when he saw Xu Zhiyuan's back as he went to get his bathrobe.
Xu Zhiyuan threw him an extra towel to wipe his hair, and Jinnan didn't dare to lower his head while applying the medicine. The bookshelf in Xu Zhiyuan's room was much smaller than that in the study, and only held four or five books, which he would replace at any time.
The bookmark was a folded piece of notepaper. Jinnan took it out and wanted to read it, but Xu Zhiyuan pinched his leg and slapped him.
In an instant, Jinnan's face turned red.
Xu Zhiyuan acted as if nothing had happened and scolded him in a deep voice: "Don't move, the medicine is applied crookedly."
"You hit me."
"Well, where did it happen?" Xu Zhiyuan raised his eyes, his eyes slightly curved, without a smile on his face.
Jinnan couldn't utter a word. He turned his attention to the bookmark, holding the folded paper in his hand and unfolding it in front of Xu Zhiyuan.
It was from my student days, a letterhead with the school logo. Inside were Jinnan's math sketches, some English words he'd jotted down, and a sentence he'd written at some point: "Xu Zhiyuan is a pighead."
A pig's head or even a stick figure.
The paper had some rough edges, clearly from frequent caressing. Xu Zhiyuan lowered his eyes and said nothing, applying the medicine to the wound bit by bit, his breathing rhythm unchanged.
"Xu Zhiyuan, you, you..." Jin Nan managed to hold back a sentence, "You stole my things!"
Xu Zhiyuan still didn't look him in the eye: "Didn't you steal it?"
Jinnan is mute.
It was more than just stealing. Jinnan unilaterally helped Xu Zhiyuan move. He had previously laughed at Xu Zhiyuan for being blind. Although he only went home once a year, Jinnan had "appropriated" a lot of things, even the ones he brought with him to video chat with him.
Xu Zhiyuan didn't see it either.
He didn't even notice the things that Jinnan had secretly stuffed into his suitcase. He didn't know whether they had been used or whether they were cared for by the new owner.
It turns out he's not slow, he's just indulgent.
After applying the medicine, Xu Zhiyuan patted Jinnan's knees and handed him his pajamas. There was an extra pillow and a quilt on Xu Zhiyuan's bed compared to yesterday. The black and gray cotton fabric looked very soft.
Did Xu Zhiyuan know that for such a matter, he should have invited Jinnan first?
However, Jinnan really wanted to go straight in.
Damn Xu Zhiyuan.
Jinnan put on his pants and while blowing his hair he saw Xu Zhiyuan refold the draft paper and insert it exactly into the position in the book where he had last seen it.
Xu Zhiyuan was born into a love of reading. His birthday falls on World Book Day, April 23rd. He's been a book lover since childhood, and even as he studied science and engineering, he never gave up his passion. He'd read his favorite books, especially those related to Jinnan, countless times, flipping through them until the edges frayed, and then buying another hardcover copy to keep.
The library used to be in Yunting, but later moved to Xuanshan. Jinnan only knew that Xu Zhiyuan had built an underground library on the first floor below ground level, the kind with a combination lock. He had never been inside.
Jinnan had a period of rivalry with Xu Zhiyuan. He would learn whatever Xu Zhiyuan could do. If Xu Zhiyuan played piano and cello, he would grind at it and saw wood. If Xu Zhiyuan had a cabinet full of luxury brands he didn't recognize, he would grab a fashion magazine and write down the names of each one and buy them.
Jinnan could have managed to get Xu Zhiyuan's college entrance exam score, but Jinnan couldn't possibly match Xu Zhiyuan's love of reading. His only understanding of One Hundred Years of Solitude was that he was the only lonely person in the world who had read it a hundred times and fallen asleep a hundred times.
Xu Zhiyuan understood his conflicting competitive spirit and was even happy to serve as his life model. For many years during his adolescence, Jinnan had mixed feelings about Xu Zhiyuan, but now he's open-minded and understanding. It was Xu Zhiyuan who first tolerated him, treated him well, and loved him first.
This piece of draft paper belonging to Jin Nan, a senior in the senior year, opened another crack in Xu Zhiyuan's hidden secret world.
Jinnan crawled into the bed that Xu Zhiyuan had quietly prepared for him. He didn't know what to talk about philosophy or life with Xu Zhiyuan, and there were so many questions in his mind that he forgot them for a moment.
Xu Zhiyuan sat beside him and opened a book.
A man was reading a book when a caterpillar named Jin quickly approached him and put its head on his arm without making a sound.
Xu Zhiyuan casually ruffled his hair, twisting it like the pages of a book. He started reading from an unknown page, but the story seemed to be about a baron and a single mother.
A low and gentle voice fell into his ears, and Jinnan seemed to have returned to his childhood in his palm.
He suddenly said, "Xu Zhiyuan, it would be great if I grew up with you."
Xu Zhiyuan finished reading a page, turned the page, lowered his eyes, and looked at Jinnan.
"It's not too late now," he said.
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